Pre-Workout Nutrition for Improved Performance and Body Composition

Whey protein, creatine and caffeine each have a significant amount of research to support positive effects, but they had not been tested collectively.

A recent study tested the effects of a pre-workout formula containing whey protein (9g), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) (1g), creatine (1.5g) and caffeine (100 mg) consumed 30 minutes before exercise. Subjects participated in high intensity interval training three days per week for three weeks. This involved five sets of two minute sprints on a treadmill with one minute between running bouts.

Compared to a control group receiving carbs only, the combination formula allowed the athletes to train harder resulting in improved responses in cardiovascular fitness, percentage body fat reduction (from 19.3% down to 16.1%), and the accumulation of lean body mass (2.6 pounds).

The results support the combined use of whey protein, creatine and caffeine for augmenting exercise capacity and positive changes in body composition in response to short term training.